Photos from Alex Sanchez/SHOWTIME
Spence vs. Crawford SHOWTIME PPV Takes Place Saturday, July 29 in Premier Boxing Champions Event from T-Mobile Arena In Las Vegas.
Undefeated WBC, WBA and IBF Welterweight World Champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. showed off his skills at a media workout in Las Vegas on Thursday as he nears his much anticipated showdown against WBO Welterweight World Champion Terence “Bud” Crawford which headlines a SHOWTIME PPV on Saturday, July 29 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The four-fight pay-per-view telecast begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and will see Spence look to complete his conquest of the welterweight division after first becoming world champion in 2017, before adding 147-pound world titles in 2019 and 2022. The winner between Spence and Crawford will hold the distinction as the first undisputed welterweight champion of the four-belt era and likely emerge as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Man Down Promotions, TBC Promotions and TGB Promotions, are available through AXS.com.
Here is what Spence, along with his esteemed trainer Derrick James, had to say Thursday:
ERROL SPENCE JR.
“This is what I’ve worked for my whole career. I want to be that undisputed welterweight champion of the world and I’m excited to go up against a great opponent like Terence Crawford to accomplish that.
“I’ve been fighting the best for a long time. When you see all the legends of the sport, they fought each other and made historic fights. That’s what I want to do. Terence is one of the best fighters in the world and I’m one of the best fighters in the world, so we had to make this happen.
“It’s definitely business as usual, but we’ve still amped up the training because of the opponent I’m facing. Terence can really fight and I believe that we’re gonna put on a great show and a great performance.
“I’m not worried about being the underdog. People can say what they say and have their opinions. I just have to go prove them wrong.
“I’ve been feeling the buzz for this fight. Anywhere I go they’ve been asking me about this fight. I knew I had to make it happen. This is what everyone wanted. We have to prove who the man is in the welterweight division and in boxing. The winner of this fight is the best fighter in boxing period.
“Every belt I’ve gotten I’ve taken from somebody. I beat champion after champion. I’m going through the ringer fighting the best guys in my division. There’s a big difference between facing a champion and someone without a belt. The guys with the belts have a lot more to fight for.
“I don’t know how much the size will factor into the fight until we get into the ring. They say he’s a strong guy and we’ll see next week.
“Everybody make sure you tune into this fight. It’s gonna be an amazing fight. This fight is gonna be a war of attrition. It’s a guts and glory type of fight.
“I don’t think there’s anyone I fought who’s similar to Terence Crawford. His style is different from anybody else. I don’t think Sugar Ray Leonard fought anyone like Tommy Hearns until he fought Tommy, and vice versa. That’s what happens in these historic fights.”
DERRICK JAMES, Spence’s Trainer
“This means everything. From the moment Errol turned pro, he said what he wanted to do. There were so many steps he had to take to get to this point, and now there’s just one more step to take. Being undisputed champion is everything he wanted.
“Our goal is to be able to push like we push in every fight. We’re going to use everything we’ve used to be successful throughout Errol’s career. It’s up to Terence if he can step to that.
“We’ve been training and sparring a lot since Errol last fought, so it’s not like he hasn’t been in the ring. He’ll just have to adjust to Terence’s timing in the fight. It might take a couple of rounds, but once he figures it out, he can do everything he has to do.
“I’m my greatest competition. I’m not worried about who’s in the other corner. It could be anybody. My focus on being who I am every day leading up to the fight and continuing to compete with myself.
“The perfect performance is a victory. I don’t care how he gets it, it’s just that he gets it. That’s what we’re working for.”
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